The Not So Glamorous Life of a Host
by mayonakanotaiyou
Summary: 4 yrs later Tamaki fell out of favor with his grandmother, got blacklisted from nearly every industry, & is working under an alias as a hotel lounge pianist & as an actual host. Kyouya wants to help him, but is he willing to pay the ultimate price? T x Ky
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Creative property of Hatori Bisco. Not mine. I only harass poor Tamaki and Kyouya.

**READ THIS FIRST!!!**

Author's Note: My first Ouran fic. The pairing is Kyouya x Tamaki, sort of. You will see why if you keep reading. I normally don't write very serious fics (if you look at some of my other works, they're pretty much in the humor category). This is the first fic that I have ever written that does not have any real funny undertones. So, read if you dare, and if you can spare a minute, review, please. Thank you. Now, on with the story.

**The Not So Glamorous Life of a Host: Chapter 1**

The light patter of rain was just enough to wake the sleeping youth from his slumber on a chilly autumn Tuesday. The blonde opened one sleepy eye and stared at the tiny droplets running down the skylight above. Sighing as he thought about the day's work, he rolled rather unceremoniously out of bed, straightened his open silk pajama top that had slid off his shoulder, and sauntered off to the kitchen to put on a cup of coffee. As soon as he heard the familiar sound of the coffee dripping through the filter into the glass urn, he sat down at the table that the machine rested on and absentmindedly picked up his lighter and the pack of cigarettes that lay next to it. He then lit one of the cigarettes and reached forward to open the sliding door in front of him. Feeling the refreshing breeze chilled slightly by the rain, he crossed his legs lazily as he took a long drag.

As he looked down at the rest of the busy city from the top floor of his Tokyo apartment, he allowed his mind to drift as the smell of coffee wafted through the kitchen. No sooner had he entered his sort of daydream-like state, when the sound of his cell phone ringing jolted him back to reality. Extinguishing his cigarette in the cheap 99 yen ($.99) green ceramic ashtray, he stood up and picked up his cell phone off the counter next to the sink and stopped the cheerful ring tone.

"_One new email message_," read the tiny flashing screen. He opened his phone distractedly as he poured himself a cup of steaming caffeinated liquid. The golden haired young man took one look at the screen before closing it abruptly, deciding to ignore the request for the time being. Tossing the cell phone back on the counter, sending it careening into the sugar bowl, causing a bit of sugar to spill onto the counter upon impact, he focused his attention on cooling the steaming liquid in the mug he held.

A few moments later, a thin, tanned guy with bleached brown hair wearing a tight white designer suit with a lavender silk shirt open to the third button and matching white shoes entered the kitchen and made his way towards the light haired one.

"Tamaki-----! Tama-chan."

"…"

"Oh fine, fine. I won't call you that, YUKI," he said exasperatedly, leaning against the refrigerator, staring almost expectantly. Getting no response, he walked up to him, took the mug, and pressed himself against him, sticking his hand into the open shirt in front of him, moving in as if to kiss the lips of fair haired one. The blonde simply turned his head and looked away with disinterest. "Don't be so cold," he whispered huskily.

"Not now. Now what do you want, Hiro?" he said after several moments, squirming out from under the other, having been forced into an uncomfortable position against the counter top.

"Why are you so cold, Yuki?"

"If you have something to say, then come out and say it already," he said, picking up his mug.

"I need you to work tonight. Taka's sick and two of the newbies we hired just quit. Said they didn't come to clean toilets and empty out garbage."

"I got work 'til seven tonight and a party right after for one of my coworkers."

"Come to the club after."

"I'll be there by nine, nine-thirty."

"We got a party tonight, can't you come any earlier?"

"Yeah, if you send a car to come pick me up. Otherwise, if I have to walk—"

"Fine, fine. I'll tell Nobu to pick you up. In front of the lobby."

"Yeah, okay."

"Well, I gotta run to the club," he said, picking up his diamond studded sunglasses and placing them on his head. "Got a meeting with the fire inspector."

"Uh-huh."

"Yuki, don't you have work in like an hour?"

"I'm going."

"Well, I'm off," said Hiro opening the door. "Lock up when you leave—"

"Okay, BYE," Yuki said, slamming the door after him.

Yuki looked at the clock on the wall—a 100,000 yen ($1000) present from one of Hiro's clients. Hiro was right. He was due at work in about an hour. If he hurried, he could take a shower and still make it to work on time. Deciding that a shower would definitely be in his best interest, he quickly stripped off his clothes and headed for the shower.

He emerged minutes later, towel drying his hair and feeling significantly refreshed. Pulling clothes off hangers, he selected a pair of black slacks and a nice silk shirt and walked to the mirror. He stared at his reflection, tall, half-French, half-Japanese blonde blessed with perfect skin and clear amethyst eyes.

"_What a waste_," he thought to himself as he popped his contact lenses in and pinned up his hair. The free-flowing blonde locks were pinned away from his face and replaced with long dark tresses, pulled into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. After finishing the final touches, he grabbed his cell phone and stuffed a few other necessities in his bag before rushing out the door, barely remembering to lock the door on his way out.

"Good afternoon, everyone," puffed Yuki, as he burst through the double doors of the Tokyo Grand Prince Hotel.

"Good morning, Toyoshima-san," said the door attendant to the dark flash that dashed towards the main lounge.

Yuki ran into the lounge, dumped his things into the locker room, checked his appearance for one last time, and ran out just in time for the emcee's introduction.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Kasuga Lounge of Tokyo Grand Prince Hotel. My name is Kasuga Yuusuke, manager of this lounge. Today we have our star pianist, Toyoshima Yuki, who will be performing a series of original compositions for your entertainment today. Please put your hands together for Toyoshima Yuki."

Yuki walked out to the grand piano, bowed deeply before sitting gracefully in front of the ivory keyed instrument. As he began to play, the lounge fell silent, as it always did when Yuki began to play. Everything sort of stood still as he played. People were always drawn to the way that he was able to make the instrument almost come alive and sing as if it were a person with feelings and personality.

Time always seemed to pass by quickly for Yuki when he played the piano. He often played original compositions in addition to famous classical pieces, which is not to say that he would not take requests. But generally people were satisfied with the music that they heard and he would often go for hours uninterrupted in his own world. It was a win-win job for him, sort of. He got paid to do something he enjoyed. While this job was not so stimulating in terms of human interaction, Yuki did not mind as his other job was and therefore he was more than happy to have blocks of time where he could simply have alone time.

Today was no different. Time passed quickly and soon it was time for the intermission, during which he took his break.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be taking a brief intermission. We will resume today's entertainment in half an hour. Thank you." Yuki hardly ever spoke on the job. Kasuga always told the audience when he was coming on, when he was going on break, and when he was done, when he would be returning. Not that he minded of course.

"Good job (_A/N: I am translating "O tsukare-sama" as "Good job" for the time being—at least until I can find a better translation_), Yuki," said the other employees that worked in the lounge, as he exited the stage and headed to the break room.

"Thank you, I'll be taking my break now," he said bowing politely and making the waitresses swoon in adoration.

He headed to the break room. Usually during the time that he took his break, there was no one there. All the other employees usually took their breaks during the hour before his, so he was pretty much free to do as he pleased. Yuki reached into his pocket and took out his cigarettes, a lighter, and his wallet. He placed those on the table and opened the refrigerator next to it.

The break room was stocked with food, snacks, and drinks, all of which the employees of the lounge were free to help themselves to. Yuki took a bottle of water and a few pieces of what appeared to be clubhouse sandwiches piled on a platter before closing the refrigerator and sitting down. Munching carefully on a sandwich, he opened his wallet.

He took out a 1,000 yen bill ($10) and placed it on a box marked 'donations.' He always felt bad eating the food without paying and thus always left money in a jar in the refrigerator in the past. Kasuga always refused to take his money, but Yuki did it anyway, which is why Kasuga finally put a 'donation' box for him.

Every time he opened his wallet, it was a constant painful reminder of what he had become. There was an identification card in one of the clear pockets used to hold credit cards that read, 'TOYOSHIMA YUKI' with a picture of a young man with green eyes and hazelnut wavy hair that was pulled into a low ponytail with a few loose tendrils gracing the sides of his face. Then on the other side in the main pocket of the wallet, smack in the middle—the first thing one sees when the wallet is opened, there was another card, laminated and quite old with a young boy in a blue school uniform jacket with blonde hair, amethyst eyes, and a gentle smile that read, 'Ouran High School – SUOU TAMAKI.'

"Toyoshima, you're back on in five," called Kasuga. Yuki, surprised, snapped the wallet shut as if he were afraid that someone would see it.

"Thank you, I'll be there in a minute!" he called back. Stuffing the last of his sandwich into his mouth, and the wallet, cigarettes, and lighter back into his pocket, he took a sip of water and walked back out just in time to begin one of his favorite original compositions, '_Ma M__ère_.'

_Meanwhile, up in one of the VIP conference rooms of the Tokyo Grand Prince Hotel…._

"What is this 100 billion yen ($1 billion) in inventory shrinkage?!" said a young man with thin rimmed glasses in an expensive black suit rather dangerously.

"Sir, that is to say, err…" offered one middle aged man in a gray suit.

"What Kawada means to say is, uh…"

"Well?" he said, expectantly.

Of the twelve members of the board of trustees sitting at the round conference table, all balding middle-aged men hanging their heads in shame, nearly triple the age of the young man standing before them, none of them were able to answer his question.

"All right, all right," he said, pushing up his glasses and rubbing his temples for several moments. He took several deep breaths before continuing, "You all call me out here today, saying you have finally finished preparing my financial statements," he said glaring at his board, many of whom also served as his CFO, CAO, etc. "I—"

"Kyouya!" said a voice that came out of the monitor. An image of Ohtori Yoshio flashed onto the large flat screen used for teleconferencing.

"Father, I'm talking to them now. Your time could be better spent elsewhere. Allow me to take care of this."

"Very well. Report to me when you are ready." The elder of the Ohtori family nodded and disappeared as quickly and abruptly as he had 'arrived'.

"As I was saying," continued the former 'Shadow King'. "I wanted these financial statements last month. You all asked for more time. My father so generously granted you all that, against my advisement. We are reporting to our shareholders in less than two weeks and here we are at the last minute with over 100 billion yen in _INVENTORY SHRINKAGE_. You all have presented me with a 200 page report summarizing our financial position. We are still on page 10 and already I have found _major_ inconsistencies. Does anyone have anything to say about that?"

"…" The silence was deafening and the air was thick with tension.

"All right. Well, considering that this statement I have here is 100 billion yen in medical inventory shrinkage, I am _very_ curious as to how we managed to incur this shrinkage within a little over three quarters. Any ideas? Personally, I have not received any notices of major mis-shipments or short-shipments from our logistics department and warehouses, nor have I heard of any major damages on our equipment. I did the physical inventory myself every quarter and found very little discrepancies. Of course, you all as the board of trustees don't have to feel responsible for this incredibly large task of beginning to inform the shareholders, even though the reports were technically gathered, analyzed, and handled completely by the twelve of you," he said with a smile.

"_He's clearly blaming this on us, isn't he?_" the twelve of them thought uneasily as they exchanged glances and shifted uncomfortably in their chairs.

Finally, one of them, unable to stand it, blurted out, "Kyouya-sama! Please give us some more time to find the source of our error. It is possible that maybe we made an error in our accounting department—"

"That's right," chimed in another. "Allow us to examine our report once again to ensure that there are no more, err….major accounting errors."

"How very kind of you all," smiled Kyouya. "How does tomorrow sound?"

"Tomorrow?!" they shouted incredulously, nearly having multiple heart attacks. "This is a 200 page—"

"Then, perhaps you could have it on my desk earlier, like this evening, say 6:30ish?"

"But that's in…No, no, tomorrow afternoon would suit us just fine!"

"Excellent! Well, I would not want to keep you. After all, three quarters worth of financial statements can be quite a challenge. Therefore, let's adjourn this meeting today, and meet up again tomorrow, same time."

"Thank you very much for this opportunity, Kyouya-sama," they said in unison, bowing deeply.

As they were exiting the conference room, "Oh wait!" called Kyouya.

"Yes, sir?"

"You all may rest assured that your jobs are safe…for the time being. However, we may have to do a bit of _restructuring _in the upper management levels after tomorrow, should there be any more future, unaccounted for deficit errors. Okay?" he smiled as they exited cringing, as they knew exactly what he meant.

"Good work, Kyouya-sama," bowed one of the company's drivers. "Shall I take you back to the office?"

"Thank you, Takada," Kyouya said as he packed his things back into his briefcase and headed out the door.

"Takada, where is Ishizuka?" Kyouya asked, following Takada into the elevator and at the same time, wondering where his secretary had run off to.

"He said he left something in the car and went to go get it. Is there anything I can get you, Kyouya-sama?"

"Yes, would you mind getting my father on the phone for me?" he said as they got off the elevator and walked into the lobby.

"Certainly," Takada responded and proceeded to call the direct line of the president. "Hello? Yes, is…? Oh, he is? I see… Would you let him know that Kyouya-sama called. Yes. Thank you."

"Was he out of the office?"

"No, he was in a meeting."

"I guess, I'll just—Where is that music coming from?" asked Kyouya suddenly.

"I believe it's the lounge across the—Kyouya-sama, where are you going?!" Takada called after him.

"_It can't be…_" thought Kyouya, as he raced towards the lounge. "_That song, it's so familiar…"_

"_Kyouya…"_

"_Kyouya, I just thought of a great idea! Let's start a club together!"_

Kyouya ran as fast as he could. The song was ending just as he could see the spotlight. "_Could it be…?_"

When he got there, he ran towards the stage, practically shaking in anticipation. But when he got closer, he realized his mistake. The person Kyouya expected was not playing the piano on the lounge stage.

"Excuse me, sir—" started a waitress. "Can we help you?"

Kyouya stood there speechless as the next song began. The next song was just a classical piece. "Chopin… Fantasie Impromtu…" he whispered. "But…"

"_Granted, not everyone can play it, but…_" Kyouya expected to see a blonde with amethyst eyes, but what he saw was an extremely thin brunette with wavy hair and green eyes.

"Sir—I'm going to have to ask you to—"

Kyouya stood there speechless as a tear ran down his face for the first time in four years.

"Kyouya-sama! There you are!"

"Sir—"

"What is the name of your pianist?" asked Kyouya abruptly.

"Toyoshima Yuki—"

"Please, let me speak to your manager right away."

"I am already here. What seems to be the problem, Mr…?" Kasuga said from behind.

"My name is Ohtori Kyouya," Kyouya said regaining his composure.

"Of the Ohtori Medical—"

"Yes, and I was wondering—"

"Yes, what can I do for you, Ohtori-sama?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me about your pianist?"

"Toyoshima? No one really knows much about him. He never really talks. Only says hello and goodbye. Never makes conversation with anyone—"

"Oh, how odd…" Kyouya muttered. "How unlike—"

"Sorry did you say something?"

"No, nothing."

"But he's a helluva amazing pianist, though. We originally wanted a harpist, but he's just as good, if not better than having the harpist, that is."

"Yes, he is. And if I didn't know better—"

"Sorry?"

"Um, no, Mr….?"

"Kasuga."

"Yes, Kasuga-san, I was wondering if you would allow me to meet this wonderful pianist at the end of his shift."

"Certainly. He doesn't say much though, I gotta warn you. But you are in luck; his shift ends at the end of this song."

"Splendid."

"Come with me," Kasuga said, gesturing Kyouya to one of the VIP booths.

The audience clapped as Yuki took a deep bow and exited the stage.

"Toyoshima!" called Kasuga, flagging him down. "Come with me. There's someone who wants to meet you."

Yuki walked over and Kasuga gestured over to the booth, revealing Kyouya sitting down having a drink with Takada.

"Toyoshima, this is—"

"Ohtori Kyouya," he whispered.

"Oh, you two know each other?" Kasuga asked surprised.

"No, we don't," recovered Yuki quickly. "At least not personally. I've read a great deal about the Ohtori family in the papers and such."

"Really, well then, Marika is flagging me down. I'll see you later. Good work, Toyoshima," said Kasuga walking back to the bar.

"Do you have a minute, Toyoshima-san? You see the thing is, you actually remind me a great deal of someone I once—"

"I'm sorry, Ohtori-sama, I am actually in a hurry. I actually have another job I have to be at."

"I see, I apologize for dropping in so suddenly—"

"No, no. I'm sorry. But it was nice meeting you, Ohtori-sama," he said holding out his hand.

Kyouya took it gently and shook it. "It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to hear you play more in the future."

"You are too kind," he said bowing, in a very familiar way that Kyouya seemed to pick up on. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Of course."

Yuki disappeared into the break room to get his things. Kyouya nodded to Takada.

"I'll go get the car. Please wait at the entrance."

"Thank you, Takada." Catching Kasuga's eye, Kyouya bowed slightly before pulling out his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He also pulled out a 5,000 yen ($50) bill and stuck it under his and Takada's barely sipped beverages before walking out towards the main entrance.

"Hello? Kyouya here. Get me _any_ information you can on Toyoshima Yuki. And find out what _really_ happened to Suou Tamaki. Now."

Kyouya hung up the phone and just as he was putting away his cell phone in his briefcase, a car swung by and picked up Yuki. Kyouya did not notice and simply got into his own car that was on its way to the office.

* * *

_To be continued…._

_Next time:_

_Just what does this "Yuki" do during the evening? (I'm sure we all know) Why has Tamaki assumed an alias? Why does he change his appearance? Why is he even working? What happened with his father and grandmother?_

_And Kyouya…Why is he practically running the Ohtori Businesses? What happened to everyone else? Where are the other Ouran High School Members?_

_These questions and maybe more….to be addressed and answered in the coming chapters!! Don't miss it!_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Creative property of Hatori Bisco. Not mine.

_Hello, I have not updated this story in forever. I'm sorry, inspiration for this sorta died while I was working on my Bleach fics. But a temporary burst of inspiration has enabled me to crank out another chapter for this. The plot bunnies were screaming in my head and I was itching to write it during class today. So here it is, the long awaited Tamaki x Kyouya cliché smut (a long way from completion though). _

**The Not So Glamorous Life of a Host - Chapter 2**

Kyouya rode the rest of the way to the office in silence. As soon as Takada was turning onto the freeway, they ran into bumper-to-bumper traffic.

"Kyouya-sama, my humblest apologies," the driver called to him. "It appears we may be stuck in traffic for the next hour or so. There has been an accident up ahead and the police appear to have the roads blocked. No one can get on or off."

"All right. Get off the freeway as soon as you can and take the back roads."

"Yes, Kyouya-sama."

Normally, Kyouya would be ticked about this inconvenience, but today, he was more concerned about the brunette at the hotel lounge, so he welcomed the quiet time, choosing to allow his thoughts the rare opportunity to drift.

"_If I didn't know better, I would have thought that the pianist—Toyoshima Yuki was Tamaki. The mannerisms…were so like Tamaki, yet there was something different. And the guy that I met was so thin, but the right height….No, no, that's silly. That guy must have been 20 or so pounds lighter than Tamaki. Tamaki…I haven't seen him in four years. I never did get any response to the letters that I sent. I could have sworn that the song before 'Fantasie Impromptu' was one he played on the piano in the music room we used for our club activities when he thought that no one was listening. What was with that non-sequitur?! Anyway, I guess it could be my imagination. Wait, who am I kidding?! That pianist made me cry. I haven't cried since the first time that Tamaki came that fateful day to see if we had the kotatsu. _

_Even when my oldest brother died last winter—I never shed a tear. People kept on asking me why I was so cold like my father, but the truth is, and was until today, was that I couldn't. I wanted to, but I couldn't, my body wouldn't let me. Why is it that today, after hearing a few bars of a song I don't even know the name of, played by a person I don't even know, in a hotel that I have never entered until today, that my eyes water and I am finally able to shed a tear?"_

Meanwhile, while Kyouya was trying to piece together his jumbled thoughts and emotions, the car Yuki was in turned into the seedy red light district, Kabukichou. While during the day, the area surrounding Shinjuku station was full of shoppers and pedestrians young and old popping in and out of the pricy stores, arcades, and many restaurants, at night, the streets became filled with prostitutes, escorts, and hosts soliciting their services and clubs to the passersby that rushed in and out of the busy train station.

Today was only Tuesday, hardly busy and bustling like Friday and Saturday nights, but it was still filled with hosts on the sides of the road in their trademark expensive suits and styled bleached hair.

"Early today, aren't you," said Nobu, breaking the silence.

"Finished earlier than expected," replied Yuki, leaning against the window that reflected the neon lights and flashing billboards of the busy district.

"Got a light, Yuki? I forgot mine," Nobu said as he turned into the parking lot next to a street filled with clubs and bars. Yuki reached into his pocket and handed his lighter to the Fendi sunglass wearing driver. "Thanks," he said, pulling the cigarette he was wearing like a pencil on his ear, and lighting it before tossing the lighter back to his silent coworker.

Nobu threw the car into reverse and he backed into one of the numbered stalls, puffing on the cigarette as he killed the engine.

"Hey, Yuki," he said mid-puff, stepping out of the car.

"Mm?" Yuki replied distractedly, leaning against the car door, smoking a cigarette after having exited the car.

"I thought you were off tonight."

"I was."

"What happened?"

"The newbies quit."

"Hiro made a pass at them, didn't he?"

"Probably."

"Are you jealous, Yuki?"

"Should I be?"

"I don't know. I thought Hiro was yours."

"We just live together."

"Thought Hiro and you were, you know, together."

"What and whom Hiro does is none of my business. It's his club, his life. He's free to hire and hit on whomever he wants."

"Did he give you the old, 'Garbage and Toilets' speech again?"

"Yeah. Not like it matters anyway though."

"Yuki, why do you stay with Hiro?"

"He pays the rent," Yuki said flatly, extinguishing his cigarette under his pointy toed shoes and walking towards the gaudily lit clubs.

"You going in like that?" Nobu asked, lighting up another cigarette.

"Why?" he asked, pulling off his dark wig and the pins, stuffing the hairpiece into his bag. He ran his fingers through his hair, tousling his locks slightly.

"What about your suit?"

"Got it in my bag."

"Well go change then already."

"Why can't I change in there?"

"The party's already in full swing. You can't go in looking like that. Hiro will have a fit."

"Oh, fine," Yuki mumbled, stepping into the car to change.

"Yuki, you know if you need a place to stay..." started Nobu.

"It's okay," Yuki said, stepping out of the car in his tight white suit with the sky blue silk shirt unbuttoned nearly all the way. "Thanks, Nobu. I'm fine really."

"You sure?" Nobu said, locking the car as they headed towards the club.

"Yeah, besides, I know your girlfriend's not so welcoming when it comes to people from work. It's okay. Besides, Hiro and I have an 'arrangement' right now. It's fine. Don't worry."

"An 'arrangement?'"

"It's a long story. Okay, who's the birthday girl today?" Yuki said, changing the subject, as they neared the club's entrance.

"Ayumi-chan."

"Alright. How do I look, Nobu?" Yuki said, brushing imaginary lint off his sleeve, and running his bony fingers through his blonde locks once more.

"Did I ever tell you that if I weren't straight—"

"I know; you'd do me in a second. Thanks, Nobu."

"Alright, here we go," said Nobu opening the door for the blonde wonder.

"Ayumi-chaaaaaaaaaaaan!" shouted Yuki, bursting through the door, waltzing in to greet the birthday girl and her guests.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa! It's Yuki!" screamed her fan club.

"Princess Ayumi, terribly sorry to keep you and your guests waiting," Yuki said, bowing grandiosely to kiss the glamorously dressed young lady in front of him. "I sincerely wish you the best on this momentous occasion—"

"Ayumi-sama," interrupted Hiro. "Yes, we—"

"Is there anything I can get you, Princess?" interrupted Yuki.

"10 bottles of your _best_ champagne," she said without so much as a bat of an eyelash.

"Coming right up, Princess," Yuki bowed. "Excuse me."

Yuki left Hiro to entertain the birthday girl and went to fetch the champagne from the back. He soon returned with a fancy cart icing the bottles in fancy buckets and plenty of glasses for the guests. He sat the cart in the middle of the club which had been rented out for most of the night by the wealthy girl and began pouring the champagne. Several of the other hosts took the filled glasses to her and her guests.

When all of Ayumi's guests had glasses of champagne in their hand, Hiro stepped forward and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Tonight we celebrate the 25th birthday of our lovely regular, Miki Ayumi," he said to the gorgeously dressed women that surrounded the slightly blushing young woman. "Ayumi-sama has been coming to our host club for over three years now and we would humbly like to thank her for her patronage. We are honored to be hosting your 25th birthday and we wish you the best. Ladies, Ayumi-sama. We are at your service tonight. Thank you."

Hiro bowed and stepped back. One of Ayumi's closest friends stepped forward shyly.

"Please join me in singing 'Happy Birthday.'"

"Happy birthday to you…" sang everyone in the club. At the end of the song, everyone clapped and a huge cake with many candles was brought out. After blowing out her candles, the birthday girl smiled and stood up to say a few words.

"Thank you everyone. Please, everyone enjoy yourselves. Hosts, please have a few drinks with us. I insist."

Ayumi held out two glasses to Hiro and Yuki, who accepted them graciously.

"Thank you, Ayumi-sama," they said in conjunction.

"You are too kind," bowed Yuki.

The party commenced with the hosts tending to the guests, bringing out massive amounts of food and alcohol. The guests, blushing from the alcohol, settled into the booths and Hiro escorted Ayumi to one of the private VIP booths. He beckoned Yuki to bring some champagne and strawberries for her, which he did.

Yuki was pouring the champagne for Hiro and Ayumi when Nobu bowed deeply and whispered something into Hiro's ear.

"I see…" Hiro said quietly. "Ayumi-sama, you must excuse me for a moment. I have some urgent business I must see to. In the meantime, Yuki—"

"Say no more. Princess Ayumi, how are you finding this evening?" Yuki asked, sliding next to her offering a glass of champagne.

"Wonderful, Yuki."

"How is your mother doing?"

"Oh, she's doing better thank you," she said sweetly, grateful for the concern. "The treatment for her lupus is going better."

"That's nice to hear. How is your father? Surely the stress of running three international banking firms must be quite taxing on his health?"

"Oh, he's the same as usual," she sighed, downing some of her champagne, pushing the other glass towards him. "Working like a horse. He's in America now. I just wish he'd come and visit my mother and me instead of working so much. But it's thanks to him that we can live so well, I suppose."

"Did you spend a lot of time with him as a child?" Yuki asked, refilling the glass.

"Yes, I was such a daddy's girl. I do miss those days. With my mother in the hospital and my father away, I'm just so lonely," Ayumi said rather sadly as she took another sip of her champagne.

"Let's not think of such sad things on your birthday," he said drinking along with her. "Here let me get that for you," he said, pulling out a lighter to light her cigarette.

Hiro did not return for another hour or so and Yuki, being the chivalrous host that he is, cheered her up as best as he could, tending to her every need until he returned.

"Yuki, did I tell you, Daddy is marrying me off to some son of a rival company—"

"Terribly sorry to keep you waiting," said Hiro. "Yuki, why don't you go check on the other guests."

"Oh, Hiro. You're back. Are the guests all right?" she said slightly swaying.

"Yes, Ayumi-sama. Is there anything I could get for you? Would you like to join your friends out in the—"

"Yuki, see that everyone has enough food and alcohol. I want everyone to have a lot of fun."

"Of course, as you wish," Yuki smiled, standing up. "It was a pleasure. If you'll excuse me." Yuki swayed a bit too, having finished nearly a whole bottle of champagne himself to keep up with her at her insistence. The last thing he had was that sandwich he had for snack, so the alcohol was essentially working its magic on his poor empty stomach. Feeling more than buzzed, he sauntered back into the main hall where the other guests were being entertained by the other hosts.

Yuki was suddenly pulled into a booth by several of Ayumi's drunk guests.

"Yuki," whispered one, her beet red skin a sharp contrast to the 30,000 yen frilly white dress she was wearing. "Where are you going? Ayu-chan said we could have some fun with you—"

"No way, I saw him first Rika-chan!" interrupted another, pulling him towards her seat, her neck and arms covered in patches of scarlet. "Come, Yuki, have some strawberries and whipped cream with me—"

"He's having some red wine with me," called another, handing Yuki a beer mug she had filled with wine.

"Oh that's real classy, Tomo," snapped the former. "Red wine in a beer mug—"

"Ladies, please," Yuki smiled, sitting in the middle. "I will have some wine and some fruit. How's that, my lovely princesses?"

"Kya--------" they screamed in unison over the already loud music and conversation that filled the entire club. "YUUUUUKIIII!!!"

The night on into the wee hours of the morning. The girls were drunk and nearly passed out by the time the party came to a close. After the bill had been settled, the girls' drivers were called and seen that they were sent home. The club was littered with empty bottles and uneaten food with the smell of cigarettes and stale alcohol thick in the air.

When the last girl had been sent home, Nobu opened the windows and doors to let some fresh air in while the other hosts began cleaning up. Hiro closed the register and went behind the bar. He pulled out a bottle of beer and drank it lazily as he leaned against the counter, supervising the final pre-closing activities.

Yuki was in the tiny back bathroom next to the lockers hunched over the toilet with his finger down his throat and his eyes burning from having the contacts in so long. He knew no one would bother him because everyone used the bathrooms in the front that were a lot cleaner and nicer than the cramped quarters clearly made for the employees to change in he was currently in.

"_Looks like I overdid it again_," he thought miserably, as the stomach lurched and spewed acid that burned his esophagus. "_Lucky I only drank and didn't eat a whole lot, so today it won't hurt that much…_"

Half an hour later, Yuki walked out holding his bag to see that most of the hosts had already gone home.

"Yuki, where were you?" called Nobu, sweeping up the last of the trash into a dustpan.

"Sorry," Yuki apologized. "I drank too much red wine. God, I thought I was going to die."

"Geez, you always overdo it, Yuki," grumbled Nobu, dumping the food remnants into the trashcan. "Why don't you just pretend to drink it?"

"How am I supposed to do that when the birthday girl asks me to chug a bottle of red wine for her? You know we have to honor the requests of the clientele at all times. We are in a service industry selling illusions that strives to provide a high value added service!"

"Yuki, you scare me sometimes, man. Sometimes I think you should have been at Keio or Tokyo University studying law or economics or something…" trailed off Nobu. "Well, I gotta get home or Kana-chan will castrate me. 'Night."

"'Night," waved Yuki as he watched Nobu hail a cab before the door closed. Sighing, Yuki reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

A flick and he found he was not alone. Hiro held out his lighter, igniting the blonde's cigarette.

"Yuki," he said, slipping his hand into the blonde's open shirt and caressing the smooth flesh lightly, trailing his fingers suggestively south.

"What, Hiro?" spat the blonde, exhaling the nicotine filled gray vapor in one quick sigh. "Didn't you have enough of Ayumi-chan?"

"She's so boring," complained the snazzy club owner, trying to get his number one host to acknowledge his presence. "Besides, she pays me to please her and she's not half as good as you are."

Yuki, took another drag, looking out of the window watching the sunlight pour into the empty posh club and scatter off of the reflective surfaces of the crystal tables and chandelier. Extinguishing his cigarette with one fluid motion in one of the crystal ashtrays, he turned to Hiro, staring for several moments before pushing him onto the leather couch and unzipping the fitted slacks of the tanned club owner.

Minutes later, Yuki stood up, wiped the corner of his mouth with one finger, and lit up another cigarette.

"See you later," he said unzipping his bag and pulling out the brunette wig. Slipping it on his head, he walked towards the exit.

"What happened to my service with a smile?" grumbled Hiro, zipping up his pants and following Yuki to the door. Yuki ignored him and walked out into the streets of Kabukichou, hailing himself a green cab.

0-0-0-0-0

Kyouya arrived at his office in a rather bad mood. Thoughts of Tamaki had consumed all night, leaving him with only two hours of sleep. He had given up on sleep at 6:30 in the morning and simply gone to his favorite coffee shop to work on his laptop until the later part of the morning.

"Good morning, Kyouya-sama," greeted the elevator ladies as they held the door open. Kyouya walked up to his secretary.

"Cancel all my appointments. I've got to review the financials and I expect it to take all afternoon. Reschedule them all for next week."

"Right away, Kyouya-sama," bowed the secretary.

"Wait—" stopped Kyouya mid-stride. "Did someone even bring them here?"

"I did not see anything this morning—"

"Hold on before you call those people—"

Kyouya stomped into his office, throwing the door open. The shuffling and rearranging of papers could be heard for several moments. Then—

"I thought I made it clear that the financials were to be on my desk!" shouted Kyouya. "What do you mean you haven't finished them?! It's almost 11:00, how am I supposed to review it ahead of time and prepare for our meeting if you haven't even put them on my desk?!...I called you last night and you told me that everything was 'going well' and that the financials were on schedule to be on my desk at the crack of dawn….what? You had a gap in your intelligence?...And that you were missing records?...Uh-huh…and technological difficulties with accessing data…uh-huh….you want an extension? Two days to fix?...You tell the rest of the board that I am not paying you exorbitant salaries so that you can be inefficient—what?...I don't care whose job it was to talk to accounting, you better find out those discrepancies and I better have full reports in addition to the financial statements on my desk Friday morning!"

Kyouya slammed the phone down angrily and walked to close his office door.

"Nevermind!" he called to his secretary, who was cringing and thanking her lucky stars that she was only a mere secretary. "Leave the appointments for today!"

Kyouya slammed the door to his office and sat back into his chair. He may have been born with a naturally low blood pressure, but right now he was feeling like his blood pressure was soaring to levels such that he would have a stroke or something soon. Then his cell phone started ringing.

"What?!" he demanded.

"I have thoroughly investigated Toyoshima Yuki and Suou Tamaki," said the voice on the other end.

"Information about Toyoshima Yuki and Suou Tamaki? Go ahead, I'm listening. Start with what you know about Suou Tamaki."

"Suou Tamaki, since his graduation from Ouran High School, it appears that he is no longer in contact with the Suou family. His father has gone missing, resulting in his grandmother being in charge of the estate and all affairs regarding the school and the family. According the embassies we have checked, no one under the name Suou Tamaki has left the country, however, there appears to be nothing registered under that name with the exception of a bank account. No cell phone, credit card, apartments, nothing."

"What's the activity like on the bank account?"

"While we were unable to obtain specific dates or other personal information, the activity appears to be sporadic at best."

"Okay, what else?"

"While information concerning was difficult to come upon, we did find something very interesting. During our investigation we discovered that someone had requested that Suou Tamaki be blacklisted from many industries. Apparently someone extremely powerful put in that request and the strength of that request is such that it would be impossible for Suou Tamaki to get a job in any respectable occupation."

"Okay, anything else about Suou Tamaki?"

"Unfortunately, we exhausted all possible avenues and that was all we were able to come up with."

"Fine, what about Toyoshima Yuki?"

"There is nothing registered under the name Toyoshima Yuki that relates remotely to Suou Tamaki. All we were able to find out is that Toyoshima Yuki is the name of a famous pianist—"

"Okay, I already know that—"

"And that there is a host or maybe an escort working in Kabukichou working under that name. He appears to be working at a high class club called Club Hiro, owned by a host who goes only by the name Hiro. This Toyoshima Yuki appears to be the most popular host at this club, after the owner."

"Do you have an address?"

"Unfortunately, we were unable to find out where Toyoshima Yuki is living, however, the club itself is a highly exclusive club catering to the extremely rich ojou-sama type—mostly the 20-something daughters of highly successful and powerful businessmen, politicians, and bureaucrats. Entrance to the club appears to by invitation only."

"I see. Anything else?"

"That is all."

"Good work."

"Excuse me."

Kyouya hung up his phone and leaned back into his chair, running his fingers through his hair as he thought about his next course of action.

"_This certainly complicates things doesn't it?_" he thought to himself.

0-0-0-0-0

Over the next few days, Yuki found that Ohtori Kyouya appeared at least once a day to hear him play. The heir to the Ohtori group always came alone in the late afternoon, bought a drink and sat at the farthest table, staying for an hour then disappearing. Days turned into weeks. Ohtori Kyouya began bringing important clients for meetings at the lounge, sometimes coming earlier or staying after the meeting to watch Toyoshima Yuki play the piano, trying to decide whether or not this skillful pianist was actually Suou Tamaki or not.

Kyouya had decided that the safest measure is to observe and gather data before making a move, much like how he had done when he was in high school, the calculating former Shadow King lived up to his name literally, never approaching Yuki, much to his surprise, but rather just sat there like a king in the shadows. Kyouya also sat in his car in front of Club Hiro, always to afraid to go in. He saw the brunette go in but was never around to see him go home. Kyouya's car went largely unnoticed, mostly because it blended in with the cars of the clients of the club.

One day, Kyouya was standing outside of the hotel clearly talking to one of the members of his company. Yuki had just finished his shift at the lounge and was walking towards the double doors. Preferring to avoid confrontation with his dark haired former classmate, he started to walk towards another exit, but noticed something wrong when the man that Kyouya was talking started to become visibly enraged and pulled a gun on Kyouya.

Yuki pulled out his cell phone and dialed the hotel security. "Hello, there is an armed man with a gun at the front entrance—"

Yuki noticed that Kyouya was backed against his car and the man was approaching Kyouya, waving the gun.

"KYOUYA!" he shouted, running out without thinking. He charged at the man, thrusting his elbow into the man's neck, causing the stunned attacker to drop the gun and fall down. "Kyouya, are you alright?"

Yuki picked up the gun and faced it to the man, who immediately held his hands in the air. "Don't move."

Hotel security came several moments later to take the man and his gun into custody, fussing over the Ohtori heir, at which moment Yuki started to walk away from the scene.

"TAMAKI!" shouted Kyouya, breaking free, running after the brunette. "SUOU TAMAKI!"

Yuki broke into a jog and began fleeing as fast as he could.

"TAMAKI! I know it's you!" shouted Kyouya, trying to catch up, the crisp, almost icy air nipping at his face. "WAIT! TAMAKI, STOP! SUOU TAMAKI"

The brunette finally stopped in the middle of the road. "I'm sorry, you seem to be mistaken, sir," he said quietly, refusing to turn around.

"Cut the crap, Tamaki!" Kyouya yelled, running up from behind. "Quit pretending you don't know who I am!"

"Ohtori-san—"

"Never mind the 'Ohtori-san!' Why are you doing this?!" shouted Kyouya, losing his cool, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to face him.

"That is none of your business," he said shrugging backward, trying to free his bony shoulder from Kyouya's grip. "Now if you'll excuse—"

"NONE OF MY BUSINESS?! You haven't returned my letters for over four years. Your family does not seem to know or care where you have gone. You're so thin; you look like you'll break if I even touch you. I have been wondering what the hell happened to you!"

"Life," he said quietly.

"Tamaki—"

"Look, '_Tamaki' _died four years ago," he cried angrily, shuddering. "My name is Yuki. I play the piano at the lounge at the Tokyo Grand Prince Hotel. Won't you please leave me alone and let me live out the rest of my life in peace—"

"Tamaki, who do you think you're kidding! Weren't you the one who told me that I am the only one who can change—"

"Please," the thinner man begged, almost on the verge of tears. "Can't you understand?! Tamaki is DEAD! He no longer exists. Why can't you just accept it like everyone else?!"

"You idiot! Do you honestly think that I could let the person who changed my life simply disappear off the face of the earth?!" shouted Kyouya, as it began to drizzle slightly in the lonely street where they stood. "No one knew what happened to you! I have been looking for you, some trace, any trace of you since graduation. At first I thought you were just busy or had moved, but every time I tried to contact you, someone always told me you would get back to me when you were available. NO ONE EVER CALLED ME BACK!"

"Kyouya…"

"Now that I think about it, I realize that one of the maids at your house was probably instructed to tell me that you returned to France so that I would stop calling. I was worried about you. I looked for you for the past four years and had almost given up hope that I would ever see you again. You," Kyouya said, reaching forward to cup Tamaki's face to draw it closer to his own just as the rain started coming down. "Tamaki, you changed my life—"

"Kyouya…" Tamaki whispered, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't say another word," Kyouya whispered back, brushing his lips gently against Tamaki's. Tamaki, tears running down his sharp cheekbones, running together with the cold rain, pressed his lips into Kyouya's. They would have continued in the middle of the street, had it not been for a clap of thunder that startled them.

"Come," said Kyouya, tugging Tamaki's hand. "Let's get out of this rain before we both end up with pneumonia."

Tamaki nodded and ran after his ebony haired friend. Moments later, they arrived at a fancy looking apartment complex, soaked to the bone. They took shelter under the eave of the building. Kyouya pulled out a flat piece of metal on a key chain from his pocket and placed it in front of one of the sensors in front of the door.

The doors opened with a whoosh, leading to a room with several elevators. Kyouya gestured for Tamaki to follow him into an empty elevator that had just arrived on the first floor. They rode the elevator in silence aside up to the eighth floor, where Kyouya opened the door to the first apartment in front of the elevator.

"After you," he said, allowing Tamaki to enter the well-furnished spacious apartment.

"Kyouya, is this one of your company's suites?" Tamaki asked wide-eyed, looking around at the living room, which was quite simple with a few pieces of leather furniture and a glass coffee table.

"This? No," said Kyouya, closing the door behind him. "Please make yourself at home. This is an apartment that I recently purchased. I bought it with plans to lease it out next year. But, I ended up having to do business in this area, so I live here periodically."

"Where ever did you get the money to buy an apartment like this?"

"I bought it with the returns I got from another investment. Let me go turn on the hot water, so you can take a shower." Kyouya said, as he opened a closet, pulled out several fluffy white towels and a robe, and put them on the table. "Take off your clothes, so I can wash them," he said throwing the robe at Tamaki. Kyouya went off in search of the breaker, taking one of the towels with him.

Tamaki, starting to shiver from the cold, wasted no time and quickly took off his drenched clothes. He slipped on the robe, which was amazingly warm and picked up his clothes. When he looked up he saw a half naked Kyouya with a towel wrapped around his waist approaching him.

"I started the hot water, so you should be able to—what?" he said to the space cadet.

Tamaki was nearly drooling as he stared at Kyouya's perfectly lean body that somehow looked extremely sexy with Kyouya's barely towel dried hair.

"Tamaki? Are you feeling okay? The shower should be ready in about five minutes. Here, let me take your clothes," he said, relieving his friend from the dripping bundle.

"Your…uh…" Tamaki managed to get out, without drooling too much and embarrassing himself in front of Kyouya, who by this time had gone to put his and Tamaki's clothes in the washing machine next to the door.

"Sorry," he called, as he started the washing machine. "There was only one robe, and I figured it would be a waste for me to change just so I could take a shower and change again, so I just—"

"Join me," Tamaki whispered into Kyouya's ear, kissing his neck, as he wrapped his thin arms around Kyouya's torso, reaching up to caress Kyouya's bare chest with his cool hands. Kyouya, surprised, nearly choked on air at the request.

"I couldn't possibly," Kyouya started, turning to face Tamaki, blushing slightly.

Now, Tamaki was not about to give up so easily, especially since Kyouya had started it all with his half naked sexy body. Noticing that Kyouya being the gracious host that he was, went to turn on the heater, the switch of which was conveniently located next to the bathroom, Tamaki walked over to the kitchen sink while Kyouya's back was turned. He touched his middle finger to his eyeball, gently removing the contacts that normally eclipsed his amethyst eyes, setting them in a small dish of water. He then quickly pulled the pins out of his hair and removed his wig. Setting the wig on the counter and running his thin fingers through his golden locks, he strode back out into the hallway to stalk his prey.

"Kyouya, won't you join me," he purred, approaching his dark haired friend.

"Tamaki, just go take—" Kyouya started exasperatedly as he closed the thermostat, but stopped mid-sentence, when he saw the familiar features that made him melt. "Tamaki…"

Tamaki, pleased with the general reaction, strolled up to Kyouya and wrapped his arms around Kyouya's neck, kissing the speechless Kyouya on the neck. As he nibbled on Kyouya's earlobe he whispered, "Join me, please, Kyouya…Let me make it up to you…All the worry and trouble I caused…"

Kyouya was defenseless, and nearly powerless to resist Tamaki's natural charm, especially since Tamaki oozed sensual energy. Tamaki's hands, lips, and tongue were driving his senses crazy and before he knew it, he found himself conceding to taking that shower.

0-0-0-0-0

_Okay, sorry, that was a little rushed, but I wanted to get to the juicy part. I hate setting up, so I cheated and kinda sped things up. Sorry, people. Reviews always welcome. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. –Mayonaka no Taiyou_


End file.
